Tributes have been paid to the British television presenter Michael Mosley, whose body was discovered on the Greek island of Symi after a five-day search.
They were led by Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey, who said in a statement confirming his death: “It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together.”
She said her husband was “an adventurous man”, which was “part of what made him so special”, adding: “I feel so lucky to have our children and my amazing friends. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have had this life with Michael.”
The broadcaster Dr Phil Hammond, who said he was given his TV break by Mosley when he was made a presenter of the first five series of Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, said he had left an “enormous legacy” of explaining science to vast numbers of people.
“As well as his enthusiasm … he had an encyclopaedic brain, he was just across every single story,” Hammond told Sky News. “He made sure that all the researchers and assistant producers on the show had science backgrounds.”
Mosley believed in the critical importance of improving public health and had a positive impact on “thousands and thousands” of individuals, he added.
“If Mike’s legacy is that some of the advice that he gave about exercise and diet and keeping in shape can be more widely dispersed, that would be I think a fitting legacy,” Hammond said.
The radio and TV presenter Jeremy Vine said Mosley was “an amazing man”. He wrote on X: “Friendly, open, modest, highly intelligent but also a born communicator – so rare. An adult mind, a child’s curiosity. He did everything with enthusiasm. We’re all going to miss him so much @BBCRadio2.”
The BBC’s chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, said Mosley was “a brilliant science broadcaster and programme maker” who “was also passionate about engaging and entertaining audiences, inspiring us all to live a healthier, fuller life”.
The historian and broadcaster David Olusoga wrote on X that he was shocked by the news and that Mosley was “a brilliant presenter who [was] very kind and encouraging to me when I first started presenting. My deepest sympathy to Clare and his family.”
The official X account for the Hay festival shared black-and-white photos of Mosley taken during his appearance there last month. The broadcaster recorded a special edition of his BBC Radio 4 programme, Just One Thing, on 25 May at the festival with Prof Tanya Byron, a consultant clinical psychologist, broadcaster and author.
The post said: “It was a privilege to share his work on our stages. Our thoughts go to his family, friends and colleagues.”
Another fellow doctor and broadcaster, Saleyha Ahsan, one of Mosley’s co-presenters on Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, said her “heartfelt condolences and many thoughts” were with Mosley’s family.
“I think the last few days everyone was just hoping for a different scenario, [a] different outcome,” she told Sky News. “Michael is resourceful. I mean his entire career he has used his body, he’s pushed his body to extremes in the name of science, in the name of finding better health outcomes for the rest of us. I just, I think all of us were hoping for a different outcome.”
She said his on-screen character, well known to audiences, reflected the man he was. “He is so personable and so approachable through the screen and that is an art in itself, being able to portray yourself like that,” she said. “And he is exactly like [that].”
She added that he was “just so professional, but he was just so human and so passionate about what he was doing […] He lived and breathed his work. He was an inspiration.”
Prof Alice Roberts said she had last seen the presenter, who worked as an executive producer of her 2009 series Human Journey, two weeks ago at the Hay festival.
“The fragility of life is so shocking,” she wrote on X. “I can’t believe he’s gone. My thoughts are with his bereaved family.”
The former Labour MP Tom Watson said Mosley had helped to transform his life. “It’s hard to describe how upset I am by this news,” he wrote on social media. “Through courageous, science-based journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people get well and healthy. I’m one of them. He was a hero to me. He will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Ted Verity, the editor of Mail Newspapers, said Mosley had been “a unique and unmissable columnist” who had “extended, and even saved, the lives of countless readers” and who in life “was as electrifying as he was in print and on TV”.
He added: “Michael was also extremely kind, not hesitating to be one of the first to offer his home as sanctuary to a Ukrainian family.”
Anna Bond, the managing director of Octopus Publishing Group, which published bestsellers by Mosley, said it had been “a joy, a pleasure and a privilege” to work on his books, which had “changed millions of people’s lives for the better”.
She said he was a “talented TV presenter and producer” who “dedicated his time to educating and empowering millions across the world to live longer, healthier lives”, adding: “A brilliant, warm, funny and kind man, Michael will be so greatly missed.”
